You no
doubt think that this is a religious matter that has no bearing on you. But no.
What constituted a real danger to public safety and hurt others' feelings was
that the four women put on a tallit - the traditional Jewish prayer shawl -
with black stripes. That is to say that what turned their praying into a
criminal act was the fact that they used an item of clothing that is considered
to be for men.

The writer is a
lecturer and faculty member at both the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem
and in the department of law at Ono Academic College.

If the
rabbinical court judges feel they cannot do their jobs in light of this kind of
interference, they should resign. I am certain we can find other rabbinic
judges who would be happy to take their place.

Prof. Menachem Mautner teaches in the law faculty of Tel Aviv
University.

A critical
approach to yeshiva funding … could create justification for a significant
reduction in the budgets channeled to Haredi yeshivas for adults. This would
require many Haredim to join the job market, and would be an important step in
a proper ordering of relations between the state and the ultra-Orthodox
community. It would also be an important normative statement on the part of the
state.

It is
therefore the obligation of the Israeli government to set up a coordinating
body with Jewish community leaders – particularly those outside of the United
States – to provide guidance and assistance in this critical deteriorating
arena of Diaspora Jewish life.